


High on the Mountain

by altehst



Series: Age Switch AU [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: (Referenced) - Freeform, AU, Age Reversal, Brotherly Bonding, Gen, Jack and Janet Drake's A+ Parenting, kind of, not really many warnings tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 14:19:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19086799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altehst/pseuds/altehst
Summary: "Damian does not understand Tim. The child does not listen to him, does not seem to like or even wish to tolerate his presence, yet he always looks to Damian- quickly, just a glance- whenever he does something that some might call "impressive.""Damian doesn't understand why Tim seems to look for his approval. Dick and Jason help him understand.Set in an AU that I have yet to write where Damian is older than Tim but still became Robin after him.





	High on the Mountain

**Author's Note:**

> So I've had this idea for a little while. Basically, Damian still became Robin after Tim, but Tim's a year (almost two) younger than Damian. Tim was Robin from ages 11-14, and then Damian showed up, and Tim became Red Robin. Maybe someday I'll write more in this AU.
> 
> Ages:
> 
> Dick: 23ish
> 
> Jason: 19/20ish
> 
> Damian: just turned 16
> 
> Tim: 14, almost 15

Damian does not understand Tim. The child does not listen to him, does not seem to like or even wish to tolerate his presence, yet he always looks to Damian- quickly, just a glance- whenever he does something that some might call "impressive."

It bothers him, sometimes. Take now, for instance. Tim has just solved a case- quickly, some might say, but Damian knows he could do it faster- and as he turns to tell Father about it, his gaze slips away from the older man's face for a moment to seek out the direction of Damian's attention. The moment Damian locks eyes with him, the younger boy's ears flush red and he pulls his eyes away from Damian and back to Father. 

Damian props his elbows on the desk of the Batcomputer, contemplating Tim's behavior over the past few weeks. Vaguely, he registers Father calling to him and Grayson, saying that he and Tim are off to present the evidence to Gordon and then patrol for a few hours, and that it's a slow night so there's no need for the rest of them. He waves his hand in a brief gesture of acknowledgement before returning to his thoughts. 

Three weeks ago, Tim had taken down six of Penguin's goons by himself while patrolling with Damian. Then he had glanced around until he found Damian, who had been watching. Tim had said, "How'd my technique look?" quietly, and Damian had shrugged. It had been adequate. There was no need to compliment the child. Tim's shoulders had slumped, and he had been uncharacteristically quiet the rest of the night. He was never one to talk simply for the sake of sound, to be sure, but he normally made at least a few comments on the thugs they fought, would grin tiredly at Alfred and Father and give them the highlights of the night when he arrived back at the Cave.

Two weeks ago, Tim had upgraded a program on Damian's bike- without asking him, of course, and so Damian had yelled at him. Tim had shrunken in on himself, and only Father's stern, " _Enough_ , Damian," had stopped his angry lecture about  _not touching things that don't belong to you_. 

Damian had found a plate of Alfred's cookies- his favorite kind- on his desk the next day. He recalled Tim spending most of his morning with Alfred- a surprise, as Tim liked to sleep in whenever possible- earlier that day.

Six days ago, Damian had woken to find that Alfred the Cat's litter box had been emptied, Titus' food and water had been refilled and changed, and Batcow had fresh hay in her stall.

And now tonight. Damian  _hmmms_  thoughtfully as a dozen more instances of Tim seeming to look to him for some sort of approval over the past few months spring to mind.

Damian's thoughts are interrupted as his oldest brother leans on the back of his chair. "What're you looking so serious for, little D?"

Damian spins his chair to the side, following Grayson's path as the older man moves to sit on the desk. "Drake... confuses me."

Grayson quirks an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"He has been acting strangely over the past few months. He seems to seek my attention, or approval, perhaps, when he does something that might merit some measure of attention. When he upset me by tinkering with my bike without my permission, I believe he sought to make amends. Tonight, when he presented Father with the case he solved, I caught him glancing at me as if he were trying to gauge my reaction. I do not know what to make of it."

Grayson tilts his head to the side, a tired smile pulling at his lips. "You finally noticed, huh? Jason thought it would take you another week."

Damian frowns. "Noticed what?"

A real smile covers the older man's face. "Damian, Tim's trying to impress you. He did the same thing to Jason and I- well, once I actually started coming around the manor when he was Robin, and once Jason got over the whole 'replacement' thing."

Damian's frown deepens. "I still do not understand. Elaborate."

Grayson rolls his eyes. "C'mon, Damian. You might've had it out for Tim when you first got here, and he sure didn't like you much, but since you've stopped being so abrasive to him, he's started looking up to you. Technically, he's your younger brother, since Bruce adopted him, and even if he wasn't adopted he's still part of the family. This is what younger brothers do. They want their older brothers' approval."

Damian sits quietly, turning this over in his mind. As Grayson gives his hair a quick tousle and then walks towards the mats, Damian rethinks the events of the past few months. 

It is true. Damian had originally come to Gotham with the intent of challenging the current Robin, which at the time had been Drake, to combat and then killing him in order to rightfully take his place by Father's side, but upon his arrival in the city, Damian had realized how superior he was to the younger boy, both in size and skill. Once Drake had leveled the playing field at least in the former category, Damian had determined that he would challenge him. There was no honor in defeating an opponent almost a full head shorter than you.

Damian pushes aside the small nudge of guilt he feels at the thought of how cruel he had been to Drake at the beginning- and, at times, still is. He doesn't care about how the little brat feels- faux brotherly relationships or not.

Still-

 _Shut up,_ he thinks at himself.  _Mother wouldn't tolerate this weakness and neither should you._  


A voice that sounds suspiciously like Grayson, who by this time had deserted the mats and was, from the sounds of cheesy pop music coming from the locker room, showering, sounds in his head.  _You always thought a brother would be nice, though, didn't you?_

Again, Damian scowls. He hasn't remembered his longing in his younger years for someone who understood what he was put through by Ra's and Mother for a long time. Someone who he could teach different skills to, someone who would look up to him.

The sounds of a motorcycle entering the Cave jars him from his thoughts. He glances up at Todd, who strides towards the locker room, his helmet tucked underneath his arm. "Todd."

The older man glances over at his brother. "Yeah, kid?"

Damian frowns at the nickname. He is hardly a  _child._ Then he brushes his annoyance aside. He has more important things to worry about. "Grayson provided me with an... enlightening perspective on some of the actions Drake has taken towards me recently, and-"

Todd cuts him off. "Ugh, you noticed? This means Dick won the bet."

Damian raises an eyebrow. "May I proceed?"

Todd rolls his hand in 'go-ahead' gesture. "Be my guest."

"I was wondering if you knew why Drake would latch on to me as some sort of figure to seek approval from. Father, Pennyworth, and Grayson I can understand, and even you perhaps-" Damian ignores the other man's muttered, " _Ouch_ ," and continued, "But I have not been- overly welcoming, towards him in the past. I do not understand why he would seek approval from someone that is clearly hostile towards him when he has at least three other people from which to search any sort of approval."

Todd grins. "Wow, is this you admitting you've been a jerk to the kid?"

Damian speaks through gritted teeth. "Answer the question, Todd."

The other man sighs, running a hand through his hair, lank with sweat, the white shock of it as jarring as ever against the black. "Look. I'll tell you, but you can't use this against Tim, okay?"

Without waiting for an answer, he continues. "Tim's parents were- well, they were his parents, but you wouldn't have guessed it from the way they acted. They were always off on some archaeology trip or another, and they always left him at home. When he was seven, they quit paying for the nanny and he was home alone pretty much all the time, except for a housekeeper, who came twice a week, and they got food delivered, I think, and... that was pretty much it. 

"When his mom died and his dad found out about Robin and came out of his coma and everything, he made him quit. Gave him some spiel about wanting to spend more time with the kid, but then he started dating this lady, Dana, and then he was basically back to ignoring Tim and then he died, and then Dana up and left.

"Basically, Dick and Bruce and Alfred and I are pretty sure that every time Tim starts looking up to someone in his life or starts hoping they'll be around for a while, he tries to impress them or make himself useful or something so they won't leave."

Grayson speaks up as he emerges from the locker rooms, sleep clothes on and damp hair making a wet spot on his shirt. "We've been trying to convince him for a while that we're not leaving, but, well-"

Todd cuts in. "Years in that mentality don't go away in a few months."

Damian contemplates this for a moment, then speaks. "So he thinks of me as a figure that he would like to stay in his life?"

Grayson grins. "Yeah, little D. You're his older brother, and, even though he still can't stop fighting with you every single time you antagonize him, he still wants your approval and respect. He wants you to be impressed by him."

Damian nods. "Thank you. I will consider this."

Todd laughs, "Yeah, brat, you do that. I'm gonna hit the showers and then my bed."

Grayson looks at the time displayed in the corner of the screen of the Batcomputer. "I'm headed for bed too. I'm beat. Don't stay up too late, Damian."

The youngest watches his brothers head off in separate directions, his mind spinning. Damian is not a stranger to hoping that an accomplishment will be rewarded in some manner of affection or attention. 

The familiar sounds of the Batmobile fill the Cave. As the car glides smoothly to a stop, Damian makes his decision. When Drake exits the vehicle, he calls out, "Drake."

The younger looks over at him. "Yeah?"

Damian can feel Father's eyes on him as well. "Your work on the case tonight. It was not terrible."

Drake's returning grin is almost as bright as Grayson's. "Thanks, Damian."

Damian waves a hand in dismissal, and watches as Drake walks towards the locker room. He ignores the warm flush creeping up his neck as Father's approving gaze rests on him. He mutters, "If such small things make him happy, that is his business," in answer to the older man's unspoken question.

Still, as he returns his attention to the cold case open on the screen before him, he cannot help but thinking that maybe he will end up with a younger brother after all.

**Author's Note:**

> my first time writing for this fandom!! let me know how I did!
> 
> Please note that I used my VERY limited knowledge of the comics and what I've gotten from fanfic for Tim's backstory along with author's liberty.


End file.
